Vietnam’s French legacy fades as China’s influence grows 80 years after independence
Relations with France are good, but French fluency has declined since independence 80 years ago, as more students choose to study Chinese or English
A massive military parade will herald on Tuesday the independence proclaimed by revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh on September 2, 1945, which was meant to end nearly a century of French rule but instead started a decade-long war until the defeated French eventually left in 1954.
Ba Dinh Square in central Hanoi, where the legendary leader, affectionately known in Vietnam as Uncle Ho, made his historical declaration, is flanked by two of the capital’s best preserved French colonial buildings – now home to the presidential palace and the foreign ministry.
But none of the six under-30 Hanoians interviewed in front of the yellow-painted foreign ministry headquarters, a masterpiece of French Indochina style, were aware of its architectural origin.
“I came here because it has unique architecture, and it is a popular spot promoted by celebrities,” said Nguyen Thi Trang, 30, who showed surprise when told about its French origin.
He was delighted when students at a university event addressed him in perfect French.
I would prefer Chinese over French as the second foreign language to study because it feels more familiar